The era of globalisation calls for a flexible, multi-skilled, knowledgeable, inter-changeable and adaptable healthy workforce. Employee wellness is essential to ensure an effective and efficient workforce. It is important. however. to measure wellness before it can be developed. Currently there is a need for a measuring instrument in South Africa which can measure all the dimensions of wellness as conceptualised in the literature. However, it is risky to apply psychometric instruments developed in other cultures to the South African contest without validating it. The objective of this study were to validate the Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) in the South African Police Service (SAPS) The specific objectives of the study. included to conceptualise perceived wellness and the dimensions thereof from the literature to access the internal consistency and construct validity of the PWS in a sample of police personnel and to investigate differences in the perceived wellness of biographical groups. A cross-sectional survey design with an accidental sample (N=840) of police personnel was used. The sample was composed of personnel from multiple divisions in the SAPS, including Functional as well as Public Service Act personnel. The Perceived Wellness Survey (PWS) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, target rotations, alpha coefficients and multivariate analysis of variance were used to analyse the data. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations failed to confirm the construct equivalence or the PWS for Afrikaans and Setswana language groups. Two reliable factors. namely wellness and illness were extracted in a random sample (n = 335) of the Setswana group and in a replication sample (n=338) However. an alternative interpretation was also possible. Statistically significant differences were found between perceived wellness of employees in terms of age and rank. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

A New Community Park for Wellness presents a new vision for parks. It proposes a new era of park programming, the ‘Community Wellness and Holistic Health Era’ in order to improve our communities with design that highlights natural phenomena. Today, health is no longer about disease or death; it’s about maintenance - getting outside, having access to fresh food and living a balanced lifestyle. Drawing on historical and contemporary wellness precedents, this practicum aims to create a community destination that promotes health and prevents disease in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It documents investigations into park programming and design, current trends in health and wellness, potential roles of light and water in landscape architecture, and light in modern and post-modern Scandinavian architecture. The final design emphasizes natural phenomena and processes related to light, water and energy in order to promote health and reconnect urban residents with time, place and the changing seasons.

Zugl.: München, Techn. Univ., Diplomarbeit, 2002

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Community Psychology), Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013. / In recent years, significant attention has been given in the popular and academic press to an ‘obesity crisis’ that supposedly, is both ever increasing and sweeping across the world. The study was undertaken to explore the influence of wellness in weight loss. Although it is not known why the prevalence of obesity has increased so suddenly and markedly specifically in the past twenty years, experts agree that the rise is unlikely to be related to a sudden shift in genetic or biological factors within the individual. The causes are largely environmental or a consequence of the mismatch between our physiology and an environment where food is abundant and physical activity unnecessary. Moreover, there seems to be an increasing belief that psychological instability and childhood experiences play a great role in this epidemic. The present study focused on the influence of wellness in weight loss. The holistic approach to deal with this study was undertaken looking at mental, physical and spiritual wellness. Specifically the study looked at food or diet (healthy food and nutrition as important in promotion of good health), fitness or exercise, meditation (helps reduce stress), mental or emotional health and community (social isolation leads to severe stress, which in turn may result in unhealthy behaviour). The results were interesting in that, there was a significant loss of weight amongst the participants at the end of the study; participants demonstrated a positive change and displayed willingness to take better care of their selves to stay well. Qualitatively, participants reported an increase in daily physical activities, healthier dietary choices, feelings of optimism and greater self acceptance. Thus wellness shows promise as a weight loss intervention.

Employer-sponsored wellness programs are important tools for keeping employees healthy, reducing an organization's healthcare expenses, mitigating risk factors, and promoting health and well-being. Little research is available on the factors associated with employees' participation in wellness programs in rural hospitals. Pender's health promotion model was used to determine how employees who participated in a rural hospital's wellness program differed from those who did not participate in terms of demographics, perceptions of personal health, general health behaviors, health locus of control, self-motivation, and situational barriers. A descriptive, correlational replication with the Hallion and Haignere questionnaire was used to survey employees. Of the survey's 186 participants, 29% participated in the wellness program. The reasons for not participating were scheduled program times (n = 51, 33.6%) and lack of interest (n = 31, 20.4%). As shown by logistic regression analysis, overall employee wellness and employee payment status were statistically significant predictors of participation. The Pearson chi square showed a statistically significant difference between program participants and nonparticipants in terms of responsibility for children/elders (p = .047) and shift worked (p = .016). These findings suggest that, when developing and implementing a comprehensive wellness program, the characteristics and needs of employees, along with organizational culture, must be considered. The successful implementation and engagement of staff in an employer sponsored wellness plan improve health through lifestyle change and risk reduction, thus promoting positive social change and leading to healthier communities. The findings of the study were incorporated into the recommendations for the hospital's wellness program.

The workplace and workforce have evolved and taken on a different personality than in the past. For employees the office environment has moved from a place where you must work, to a place where you want to work, to a place where you do your most productive work. Advances in technology continue to blur the lines between home and work. Although mobile devices had suggested they could set us free to work from anywhere, the reality is technology necessitates proximity. Employees need to be together to share ideas, to innovate and to collaborate. Although employees can work from anywhere, people are working together in closer proximity to each other. Additionally, the workplace environment is not as orderly and procedural as it was in the past. Today it's creative, innovative and collaborative. This thesis explores the intersection of health and wellness within one's workplace, as a means to create a more productive, collaborative and healthy environment through a design intervention located in Alexandria, VA. The key drivers of the design include natural light, active design, biophilic elements and circadian lighting. Access to natural light creates happier and more productive employees. Staircases are readily accessible and inviting, encouraging occupants to walk up and down. Nature is brought indoors offering psychological benefits, connecting employees to the outside as well as recharging mood and focus. Lighting design works in line with our internal body clock, enabling our body to perform at the right time. This workplace improves the well-being of people by placing health and wellness at the center of the design. / Master of Architecture / The workplace and workforce have evolved and taken on a different personality than in the past. For employees the office environment has moved from a place where you must work, to a place where you want to work, to a place where you do your most productive work. Advances in technology continue to blur the lines between home and work. Although mobile devices had suggested they could set us free to work from anywhere, the reality is technology necessitates proximity. Employees need to be together to share ideas, to innovate and to collaborate. Although employees can work from anywhere, people are working together in closer proximity to each other. Additionally, the workplace environment is not as orderly and procedural as it was in the past. Today it’s creative, innovative and collaborative. This thesis explores the intersection of health and wellness within one’s workplace, as a means to create a more productive, collaborative and healthy environment through a design intervention located in Alexandria, VA. The key drivers of the design include natural light, active design, biophilic elements and circadian lighting. Access to natural light creates happier and more productive employees. Staircases are readily accessible and inviting, encouraging occupants to walk up and down. Nature is brought indoors offering psychological benefits, connecting employees to the outside as well as recharging mood and focus. Lighting design works in line with our internal body clock, enabling our body to perform at the right time. This workplace improves the well-being of people by placing health and wellness at the center of the design.

No description available.

What a counselor-in-training believes about his or her ability directly impacts his/her persistence and ability to perform a task successfully. Evidence shows a link between academic factors and counselor self-efficacy with trainees who perform better academically being more confident in their ability to counsel. In addition, there is a strong probability that part of a trainee‟s belief system and subsequent behavior choices are connected with his or her total wellness. Having a higher self-efficacy can improve counselor competence and give insight into the gatekeeping process. Because there is limited research to address academic factors and total wellness of counseling self-efficacy (CSE) of counselors-in-training (CIT), this study concentrates on the gap in the educational and counseling literature. This research documents the extent to which these variables can contribute to the prediction of CSE of CIT. Specifically, academic factors, wellness and CSE of CIT were assessed across randomly selected CACREP accredited master‟s-level counseling programs. Liaisons were contacted, provided a description of the study, and invited to ask any questions related to their students‟ involvement in the study. Those who agreed to allow participation in their program were asked to forward an email introducing the study and requesting participation to counseling practicum and internship students at their institution. In the email, potential participants were provided with directions for accessing and completing the survey, contact information for the researcher, and approximate deadline for completion. Each participant was asked to complete a consent form, a demographic questionnaire, the 5F-Wel, and the Counselor Activity Self Efficacy Scale. There were 2 hypotheses considered in this study. First, a significant relationship will exist between academic factors and the CSE of CIT. This hypothesis was not supported. A significant relationship will exist between the total wellness score and the CSE of CIT. Regression analysis revealed that the complete model including all 5 predictor variables did not significantly predict CSE of CIT. This model accounted for only 6 % of the variance of CSE of CIT. Thus, this hypothesis was not supported. These findings indicate the need for additional research to examine which factors contribute to the CSE of CIT.

Approximately 1/3 of the children in the United States are overweight or obese. Children in Mississippi have the highest rate of obesity among all other states. The outcome of this epidemic presents an increase in poor health. To address the problems associated with overweight and obesity among children, schools in the U.S. were required to develop school wellness policies. School principals were identified as key individuals in overseeing the development and implementation of the policies. Existing research studies show a strong relationship or association between student health and academic achievement. The purpose of this research study was to investigate elementary school principals’ perceptions related to the implementation of school wellness policies. The study sought to examine principals’ perceptions regarding physical activity, child nutrition, health education, and general beliefs about school health policy implementation. A web-based survey was sent to 670 elementary school principals with 123 (18%) responding. The majority of the respondents were White females who had served four or more years as principals, had average enrollments of 500 students at their schools, and had school ratings of successful or high performing. Positive weak correlations were found to exist between school accountability ratings and principals’ beliefs that physical activity promotes improved test scores and that physical activity and healthful nutrition promote increased school attendance. Positive weak correlations were also found between school accountability ratings and principals’ beliefs that physical activity, child nutrition, and health education promote improved classroom behavior.

Employee wellness programs are an essential tool in the Human Resources toolkit. Even though research has provided evidence of the effectiveness of an employee wellness program within an organisation, the sustainable implementation thereof has remained sporadic in developing countries like South Africa. This qualitative study has explored perceptions around employee wellness as held by management level staff in the hospitality, media and health industries. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis and analysed using thematic analysis (TA). The results of the study has shown that managers understand the potential role that employee wellness programs can play, but that there are too many barriers to overcome in implementing a sustainable program. Questions such as ‘How do I offer something for everyone?’ and ‘What if employees do not want to participate?’ remain unanswered. Recommendations made as consequence include the development of a typology of employee wellness programs in developing countries; support to organisations in implementing an employee wellness program; and, integrating employee wellness into the daily operations of an organisation. / Dissertation (MA (HMS) Sport and Recreation Management)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Sports Medicine / MA (HMS) Sport and Recreation Management / Unrestricted